Town's pursuit of Arsenal defender Justin Hoyte may well be renewed when the Gunners complete the signing of Ivory Coast defender Emmanuel Eboue from Belgian side Beveren in January.

The Blues were set to sign Hoyte, who celebrated his 20th birthday last week, on a season-long loan in the summer but Arsenal's failure to capture the signature of Ajax full-back Hatem Trabelsi before the transfer window closed scuppered the deal.

With Eboue's transfer to be ratified when the window reopens, Arsene Wenger may well allow Hoyte to join the Blues for the remainder of the season.

Arsenal are keen that the England U21 full-back or central defender pick up first team experience.

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